Julii's almost here
Julii, one of the most anticipated new restaurants of the fall season, is two weeks away from opening at Pike & Rose. The casual bistro is a side venture from the founders of Cava, who plan to offer a French and Mediterranean menu with dishes like roast chicken and duck, crispy trout, tuna nicoise, French onion soup and Moroccan lamb tagine. “We’re going to start with dinner,” says co-owner Ted Xenohristos. “Eventually we’ll start opening in the mornings with coffee, baked goods, bagels and Israeli-style breakfast, then kick in with lunch service: sandwiches, stuffed croissants and grab-and-go meals.” Xenohristos also has some news about one of his other restaurants, Sugo at Park Potomac. Scroll down for more.
Sugo is sold
Sugo at Park Potomac, which opened six years ago as a side project from the team that created Cava, has changed hands as its busy founders move on to new ventures (see the Julii story above). The restaurant’s new owner is Dhvani Vyas, a Subway franchisee and Sugo fan who plans to keep the name and the menu essentially intact. He is, however, experimenting with some new items in the kitchen (bread pudding, Nutella-based desserts, white pizza with sliced peaches and balsamic glaze). Also on the way: new TVs, a new espresso machine, live music and special events showcasing wines and local beers. Eventually Vyas hopes to add an outdoor canopy like the one at neighboring Addie’s. “We’ll be looking for feedback from customers,” he says. “We want to see what else they’d like us to do.”
Untucked shirts and spare tires at the mall
Untuckit will open its doors next week in the Macy’s wing at Westfield Montgomery mall, right across from the Apple store. The retailer is known for its $80-ish button-down and polo shirts with hems that are intended to fall mid-fly, showing off its triangle logo and covering any spare tires. And speaking of spare tires: Goodyear is heading to the mall with its new tire store, Roll, which makes life easy by picking up your car or sending a mobile technician to handle the installation right at your home or workplace. The chain recently opened in downtown Bethesda and will be rolling into the former Pen Boutique space at Westfield Montgomery; opening date TBD.
Faux snow at Pike & Rose
After the success of its popular “Beach” installation this past summer, Pike & Rose is launching a wintertime counterpart: faux snow. In case you didn’t get enough of the real stuff this week, visit Pike & Rose any Friday or Saturday through the holidays for a manmade snowfall — complete with holiday music — every night at 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.
